1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an affixing method of RFID label and its affixing apparatus. More specifically, it relates to a method to affix an RFID label, which is provided with an antenna coil and an IC chip and capable of transmitting information to and from an external device through non-contact communication, to an object-to-affix such as a container or the like and its affixing apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally bar-code has been used for stock management or sales management of a product. Recently, instead of this, use of a non-contact ID tag, which is capable of transmitting information through non-contact communication, has been increasing. This is an insulated substrate provided with an antenna coil and an IC chip, and capable of non-contact type information communication using electric wave. A resonance circuit is formed with the antenna coil, the IC chip and a capacitance element, and by receiving electric wave (information) from a writing mechanism disposed externally, it is capable of writing the information on the IC chip. Upon receiving electric wave from an external device (a reading mechanism), the information stored on the IC chip is sent to the external device.
Recently, an RFID label, united with a non-contact ID tag (also referred to an ID tag hereinafter) and a display label, as described above, has been used. An RFID label is provided with a display section for product information on a surface thereof, and an adhesive surface to adhere with an ID tag and to affix a product on a back surface thereof. By affixing an RFID label to a product, the product information can be read through non-contact communication, and thus it is useful for product management.
A sectional drawing and a back surface drawing of an RFID label 112 as describe above are shown in FIGS. 20A and 20B. A display label 105, adhesive 106, an ID tag 109, a double-sided adhesive tape 111, and a releasing member 107 are laminated. The ID tag 109 includes an antenna coil 113, an IC chip 114, an electro-conductive material 116 and a connecting terminal 115 provided on an insulated substrate 117. The ID tag 109 is adhered on the releasing member 107 to produce the RFID label 112. However in the existing circumstances there is a problem that a defective rate of the ID tag 109 is high and 5 to 20%. Therefore, before the adhesion, writing and reading test of information have been applied to the ID tag 109. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-298104 discloses an example of a method for manufacturing an RFID label.
Patent Literature 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-298104
The RFID tag 112 is affixed to a product. On a label affixing step, after separated off along a line-to-separate b to the individual RFID tag 112, the RFID tag is affixed to the product. This label affixing step is usually conducted by a manufacturer of the product to be an object-to-affix. Information printed on the label surface has permanent product information and such as a product name, a manufacturer name or the like, and updated product information such as date of manufacture, expiry date or the like. As shown in FIG. 20A, on the label surface, a display section to display the product information and a section-to-be-additionally-displayed for additional display of the updated product information are formed. If the updated product information such as date of manufacture, expiry date or the like is printed before production, in case that the product is not manufactured according to schedule, the label will have to be discarded. Thus the updated product information should be printed right before affixing the label. Also, information written on an ID tag, is not only information predetermined such as a product name, but also a manufacturer's serial number, expiry date or other traceability information, similarly to the information additionally displayed on the display label, and thus after filling of the object-to-affix as a product, the information is written, and then the label is affixed.
A printing method for additional display can be, for example, printing under pressing force such as sealing or the like, printing by pressing hot types, printing by laser or the like. Printing as described above had a problem that a non-defective ID tag 109 could be destroyed, in case that the non-defective ID tag was positioned on where additional display was printed, since heat or pressure could be applied or energy of laser could be reached. Thus, after printing the additional display, it was necessary to apply a test to the ID tag again. That is, it was necessary to apply a test for the ID tag twice, once at a manufacturing factory of the RFID label and once at its affixing site. As a result of the test, if the ID tag was recognized as defective, its display label 105 had to be discarded, causing increase of the production cost. Also, in case that change in display information of the label occurred, the ID tag preliminarily united with the label had to be discarded as well.
With the above described situations in the background, the present invention is conducted, and especially aims to provide an affixing method of RFID label and its affixing apparatus, wherein an ID tag is difficult to be damaged by printing additional display on a label, more than two tests of the ID tag are not required, and solving a problem that the ID tag preliminarily united has to be discarded in case that the label can not be used since the display information is changed.